weekly bits #12

the county fair, melted butter + a renovation update

Howdy, partners. It’s been a weird week. Truthfully I feel like a lot is heavy on my heart regarding what is happening in this country as well as within some of my personal circles, and life feels a little gooey. I’m generally a pretty optimistic person, but if I’m being candid, everything feels off the rails and it’s hit me like a truck. Not a particularly upbeat way to open, but I like to share in case it resonates with anyone else — I think we’re all feeling it in one way or another.

Setting that aside though, plenty of delightful things to highlight from this past week, so off we go!

1. These buttermilk pancakes I made last Saturday morning after Sam did a surprise kitchen clean while I was out on my morning walk with the dogs. A really lovely gift, as the kitchen is very much my domain and responsibility, and he does about one thousand other things for us and our household. So in exchange, pancakes. I like my pancakes a little bit burnt, as shown, and these were perfect — served with the only butter I buy, Kerrygold, and lots of maple syrup (not shown to the degree it was doused upon my plate). I thought I had buttermilk, but turns out it was far out of date and lumpy, so I used the recipe developer’s suggestion for a buttermilk replacement (milk + lemon juice, though I subbed some milk for heavy cream) and it worked great.

2. Sam and I took a date night to the county fair, and it was such a delight. We wandered, ate some quality Chicago hot dogs while watching a livestock auction, met a bunch of lovely animals and their youth caretakers, rode the Ferris wheel, marveled at a giant pumpkin, played some fair games and lost miserably…a 10/10 night in my book. The atmosphere was so cozy and nostalgic, almost magical. Lots of young families and groups of teens and couples enjoying a night under the bright flashing lights of all the rides, eating corndogs and cotton candy, entrenched in a whole different world for the evening.

   

   

   Chicago dogs from a local food truck. Pickle spear was too big, but there were spicy peppers on here that I’d never had before and were amazing.

   

   A mama and baby goat, who was only one month old. I tried to capture her precious face but she was camera shy.

   

   Sam enjoying some funnel cake in front of a jealous audience.

   

   Me & the prize-winning pumpkin.

Below the paywall, more bits like my reaction to this seasons Love Island UK, the one thing I’d buy again from TikTok shop, a renovation update, Leonard’s cutest picture & my bakes this week…